The Mananga Adventure Trail gives you access to an idyllic, exclusive part of the Kruger.

On a hike the guides point out the small creatures, such as a locust, and the big ones, like a white rhino.

Early-morning drive
(57 km; about 5 hours, including an hour for breakfast)
Head for the S100 (21 km; 90  minutes away) before sunrise, but wait until 15 minutes after the gate has opened so you miss the early-morning traffic and dust clouds the vehicles kick up (especially during school holidays).
The S100 must be the most popular gravel road in the whole park, because it’s near the camp. You can get to it quickly at the best game-viewing times (early morning and late afternoon) and drive the whole road.
It also runs through quite a few different habitats: On one side you have open savannah and on the other side the N’wanetsi River with its dense riverine bush. In other words, you see a wide variety of animals – for example, it’s one of the few places in the park where you can see a leopard and a cheetah on the same game drive.
Turn right onto the S41 at the T-junction and look for kudu and leopard en route to the N’wanetsi picnic site, where you can stretch your legs (12 km; 40 minutes). The view across the river (all the way to Mozambique) is spectacular. It’s also a lovely place for a late breakfast.
Drive back along the H6 and H1-3 tar roads and look for spotted hyenas about 9 km from the T-junction with the H1-3. There’s a pipe­line below the road that they like to fre­quent (24 km; 60 minutes). 

Out all day
(112 km; at least 7 hours, including a stop at the Timbavati picnic site)
Drive north slowly along the H1-4 and look for zebras and ostriches (32 km; 90 minutes). After the Ngotso North waterhole, turn left onto the S39 and drive along the river to the Timbavati picnic site (28 km; 2 hours) where you can throw a chop on your gas braai.
Stay on the S39 (still along the Timbavati River), which first goes west and then turns south (32 km; 2 hours). Turn left onto the H7 tar road and look out for cheetahs near the crossroads.
Take a leisurely drive back to camp (20 km; 1 hour). 

Late afternoon
(61 km; 2½ – 3 hours)
Drive westwards along the H7 to the Nsemani Dam to see waterbuck, hippos and fish eagles. If you’re lucky, you might spot spur-winged geese, Africa’s largest waterfowl.
Drive past the S40 and S12 turn-offs and turn left onto the S36 gravel road (20 km; 45 minutes). After about 9 km, turn left onto the S126 Sweni road (9 km; 20 minutes) – now you’re in lion country with the late afternoon sun behind you.
Just before the tar road you might see elephants feeding on ilala palms by the river (22 km; 1 hour). Return to Satara along the H1-3 tar road (10 km; 20 minutes).

A guided walk in the morning or afternoon offers a good chance to encounter rhinos and elephants on foot.

From the lookout at N’wanetsi picnic spot you can see into Mozambique, and you might spot a leopard near the river.

Walk among the animals
Satara’s open veld is ideal for a wilderness hike, because you can see the game from far away and move closer slowly and quietly without surprising the animals.
Besides a variety of spoor (such as hippo and giraffe), a few dung beetles going about their business and birds such as crested barbets, black-headed orioles and white storks, we spotted a small herd of buffalos, two white rhinos and a herd of elephants on our walk.
The morning hike is the most popular. It costs R270 per person (maximum eight people) and lasts about 3  hours). A shorter afternoon hike can also be arranged, at R210 per person. Mornings are better, because it’s usually a bit cooler and it’s a longer hike.
Wear long trousers, hiking boots and a hat; apply plenty of sunscreen; and take at least a litre of water. Also pop a pill if you’re prone to hay fever.

Drive an adventure trail
This trail is one of the most interesting and enjoyable things to do in the park. It’s a kind of 4x4 trail (Kruger has four of these), but not a hard-core trail. What it offers you is the chance to drive along a range of jeep tracks usually reserved for rangers – in your own vehicle and without a guide.
This trail is an open stretch of veld north-east of Satara where there’s a lot of game. It offers a good chance of seeing any of the Big Five, as well as cheetahs, blue wilde­beest, giraffes and zebras. You’ll also see ostriches, kori bustards and secretary birds.
You book for the trail on the morning you want to drive it, and once you’ve paid you’re given a map with GPS co-ordinates and distances.Drive carefully in the wetland when it’s wet – the elephant spoor can easily swallow one of your wheels whole.
What’s great is that you are allowed to get out of your vehicle in an open area.
It costs R460 per vehicle for the day (plus R100 deposit, in case they have to come and tow you out). Bear in mind that the trail can be closed for up to three months if the park gets heavy rain.
I drove this road in 4½ hours and saw 10 mammal species, which included elephants, buffa­loes, giraffes and a hippo.

Experience the nightlife
Satara is one of several camps that offer night drives on which you can see porcupines, civets, owls and more. Just remember that although a night drive could be as action-packed as a National Geographic documentary, you might also not see much at all.
The night drive takes about two hours and costs R120. We weren’t dis­appointed: We saw a hippo, a genet, a large spotted genet, a white-tailed mon­goose, a lioness and even a chameleon.

Senior field guide Phillip Zitha says Satara is the best place for a guided walk, because the veld is so open that it’s easy to spot animals. “ We regularly see elephants, buffalos and white rhinos at the water.

The days are long gone when a Kruger lion might attack someone on horseback, as famously happened to one of the Kruger’s first rangers, Harry Wolhuter, in 1904. But if you want to see a big cat, camp at Satara.
Predators are one of this popular camp’s big drawcards. The savannah around Satara is perfect for cheetahs, which hunt in open areas; the riverine bush of the N’wanetsi and Sweni rivers shelters leopards; and you’re bound to spot a lion on any of the roads around Satara. The likelihood of spotting all three big cats in one day on the S100 is another of Satara’s magnets. The road winds along the N’wanetsi River for 19 km, and offers one of the best, most scenic game drives in the entire park.

Another attraction for visi­tors to this camp is that you can watch game through the camp’s fence. Even during the hot summer months people will for­go a shady spot to get a stand along­side the perimeter fence. On a good day you can easily spot 10 different mammal species from the comfort of your chair – even elephant and buffalo. It’s remarkable: You’re in a comfy position, there’s a loo nearby, you’re not wasting fuel and you don’t have to jostle for a position to get a good view of the lion kill.

If you haven’t been to Satara for a while, the renovations will come as a pleasant surprise. There is now a lovely swimming pool and an excellent day visitor area near the camp entrance.
The cafeteria and restaurant look out over a waterhole beyond the fence, and the shop is one of the best in the park – it even stocks fresh fruit and vegetables.
Despite the camp’s popularity, it’s much more peaceful than the busy southern camps because of its simplicity.
Viva Satara!